In my opinion...

I think, in a sense, these essays are just more forms of "Why I Write". It's various authors describing distinct times in their lives which caused them to become writers.

My favorite one is probably eveyone's favorite one: William Kennedy's. I think everyone who has ever thought of being a writer (which potentially is any kid who has gone through first grade) has had their own 'Eggs'. I had quite an imagination when I was little. (Or young, rather, because I am still little). I used to tell my mom stories, and I would proceed to tell her about them for hours. And at the end, she would say, "Did that really happen?" And I would reply, "Well, no. Actually, I dreamt it." And she would ask, "Did you really dream all that?" And I would say, "Well, no. But wasn't it interesting?" And indeed, they were interesting stories. I had an abundance of ideas in my head, and as I got older I thought it was something I wanted to share with others. I tried writing many stories. They all sucked. But I always had ideas. I think Kennedy's essay is saying you have to take risks. You have to start somewhere, and you always have to be prepared for criticism so you can improve.

My least favorite one was Pat Conroy's. It wasn't my least favorite because it discussed a rather tragic event. It was my least favorite because I don't think it was very well written. It didn't have a huge impact on me, or a moment where I was like, *gasp*. Which I think was her goal. The ending wasn't powerful to me, either. It was anticlimactic, and the last line didn't leave thoughts lingering, or make me feel like she has put her father to justice, or whatever her intentions were with ending it that way. I just didn't think the length of her essay was long enough to get her point across effectively, or to bring out enough emotion. I actually read this one to my mom just to tell her about how poorly written I thought it was. Yup.

Overall, I liked these essays. They were short, but they had a lot of content. And I think it's cool to read about how various authors got their start, and what inspired them to write.